Monday, November 16, 2009

The Military Get’s Golden Corral’s Appreciation

If you’ve ever stood in a (military) chow line or know someone who did, you can appreciate the irony at The Golden Corral today at the 9th annual Military Appreciation Day as the line was literally wrapped around the building. However, the old military adage of “hurry up and wait” was anything but the case in spite of the large number of military personnel that stood chatting amongst themselves about their past and present military experiences – with all branches represented by, the young, not so young, and the old. Instead, servicemen and women inched their way swiftly to the open doors manned by High School JROTC personnel who stood proudly – in full uniform.
It was reminiscent of yester-years of being in a basic training dining hall, as they went from one food station to another in an orderly fashion, waiting as their fellow serviceman plate filled with large portions of first one dish than the next. There was an abundance of food choices more than enough to satisfy even the hungriest of appetites.
The Golden Corral is thankful for the men and women of this country who have fought to make and are still fighting to keep America free. The free dinner meal is a special "thank you tribute" to any person who has ever served in the United States Military. Rather you’re are a veteran, retired, currently serving, in the National Guard or Reserves, you were invited to join them for Golden Corral's Military Appreciation dinner, at one of its 485 restaurants nationwide. Golden Corral restaurants have provided over 2.2 million free meals and contributed over $3.3 million to the Disabled American Veterans organization.
America’s freedom comes with a big price tag for our men and women in the military and their families as well, and to say thank you, Golden Corral has provided a free meal to veterans once a year for the past nine years. It's come at a cost to the company, but the philosophy of the restaurant chain is that veterans deserve it and more.
On behalf of the military personnel (past & present) in my family, and there are quite a few, including me - I want to thank the Golden Corral for appreciating all military personnel – active and inactive and for continuing to say thank you, in such a considerate way.